Raging Nostrum

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Apophis, Hanseatic Commowealth

Doctor Padrig Cyaire looked through the microscope at the few drops of orange fluid that had been salvaged from the white tube that the army had found in Brisbane near where the soldier who had caused over twenty-five deaths due to having a grenade lodged into his stomach had been. A suicide bomber had to be treated with the utmost care and in addition to that anything surrounding that mystery needed to be uncovered starting with this syringe. Cyaire sighed as he twisted the knobs on the high-powered microscope in his lab, there had been a few drops if that salvaged by the army barely enough to get any strong reading, but he had been at this since yesterday and through much of the night to get anywhere any understanding at all of what was inside. Military doctors had postulated that it had been some kind of poison, but almost immediately Cyaire could see that it wasn't poison, the molecular structure of any toxin was much different then what he could see. "Damn it, c'mon, I almost..." He twisted the knobs again trying to bring focus. "There!" Finally after hours of study he could get a clear picture of the few droplets of fluid and a smile broke over his face. "Just like I thought." He said. "Just like I thought."

Colonel Andrew Sagittel sat across the table with his head in his hands, the report of an causalities in Brisbane had gone exactly how he had though it would he brought the information to Hannah's attention. She had nearly killed him herself and so really had just wanted to go home for the day and relax trying to bring himself up to grip after staring into the Potentate's bright rage filled eyes. But things were never that easy, as being one of the higher ranked military officers in Apophis the finds of a few of the stranger things in Brisbane were brought to his attention first and then would be relayed onto the Potentate. Across the table from him was Cyaire and another nurse with beaming smiles on their faces. It just make Sagittel want to go home more.

"So, you said that this is of the utmost importance and knowing you Cyaire you could be telling me about an epidemic but as long as you were the first one to figure out that it could kill the entire country you'd be happy." Cyaire was that kind of doctor, Sagittel hated him because the advancement of medicine and science was ten times more important than ethics. In Cyaire's mind it was better to sacrifice one life for the benefit of the greater society than wait even a week for a better alternative. Science was ever moving and there was no time to tarry.

"Please Andrew, you're being far too grim. Not everything that happens is a negative thing. Actually considering your prior report to Lady Hannah, this one should brighten both your and her day a great deal."

Sagittel lifted his head. "This is about that syringe they found near the airport? I thought it was just pain killers for wounds. Morphine."

"Well it had pain killers in it. But a bit more and it gave me a bit of an idea." Cyaire brought out a notebook that he kept under his arm and laid it on the table. "We found a handful of chemicals inside the fluid, mainly epinephrine and thebaine. Essentially what we're dealing with is an adrenaline booster, strength booster, the whole nine yards."

"And your point?"

Cyaire shook his head. "The point is Colonel, is that the Dranaggians have something that we should have and that we could easily create. Possibly much more effectively if possible."

"So military level grade boosters, that's what you're saying?"

"Precisely. My model is simple. Using the Dranaggian formula as the building block I propose the creation of a lesser version and a more extreme version of the serum that we discovered. From my studies, I believe that if we take a minor dose of epinephrine it would be the same rush as when a mother would lose her child under a car or something. Those strange imbalances in the human mind and body can do wonders, but now think if we could harvest that. The second proposal is a mere copy of the Dranaggian formula, much more epinephrine added with thebaine, the adrenaline rush will be great enough that the subject will probably injure themselves and so pain killers are necessary, as well as a long stream of recovery time afterward. The last is a lethal dose of epinephrine, but enough that the subject will essentially murder everyone in a vicinity before succumbing to the drug."

"I'm sure other countries have this system as well Cyaire."

"Of course they do, but we don't and we need to."

"You realize of course to mass produce this would be an expense that this country can not afford at the moment."

"Mass produce?" Cyaire laughed. "Of course not, even having the regular army with this would be impractical a bunch of rag-tag soldiers running around with too much testosterone at their fingertips. Andrew do you think me for some fop?" Sagittel rolled his eyes. "This is art my friend and needs to the most pristine of subjects. I would like to have this become apart of the arsenal of the Lillian Guard. That is why I need to you report this to Lady Hannah, after all the Lillians are her personal guard, I would imagine she would want them to have as many aces as possible, don't you think?"

"Well I'll have to bring it up to her." Sagittel said standing from the chair. "And I can't be too sure she'll say yes. The Lillians are a very traditional regiment of soldiers."

"One does not play by the rules in this world Sagittel." Cyaire called as the Colonel walked out of the conference room.

Sagittel sighed cause he knew that Hannah shared that philosophy as well.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Annette du Musline struggled anxiously against the leather bindings holding her against the operating table. Cyaire's laboratory was well kept for his strange outlook on the scientific world, white tiled walls ran around the four corners of the room, tanks of anesthesia were stacked on the far side near a few other cabinets of various tools, operating devices and bottles of chemicals. On Annette's right there was a large window, opaque from within but she knew there were already observers on the other side and it really did feel like some grotesque science experiment being done. But as a Lillian Guard she knew that she would be treated with the utmost respect and had already received a briefing of what was to be accomplished. Hanseatic doctors who had analyzed the Dranaggian drugs found in Brisbane had created their own versions of the adrenaline boosters and after dozens of successful tests on animal subjects it was finally time to test on a human. Annette was to receive the Class A serum, injected into her neck, this would be an enhanced adrenaline booster which would be the beginning stages towards the use of the Class B and Class C serums. Class B had been tested on animals the day prior as being successful with the amount of pain inflicted on the animal test subjects, while Class C would remain in experimentation for another few weeks to lessen the lethal dose of adrenaline. But as far as Cyaire was concerned, Class A was as good as done and Miss Annette would prove that to Lady Asgeirsson and Colonel Sagittel today.

"Personally I still don't trust this Your Ladyship. We should be able to train our Lillians harder and overcome the same advances that they are doing with drugs." Sagittel said, his face cross looking in at the operation table.

"Yes, but we will be doing this in addition to their advanced training. The Lillian Guard is supposed to be the Hanseatic Speical Operations Division and from what Sarah told me from her travels in the Imperial Union we are much, much too light on their training. Therefore, I have already talked to Captain de Lune and the training and acceptance program will be entirely reformed."

"But must we still use the drugs?"

"If Dranagg is using steroids and likewise I'm sure most other countries are doing the same thing. For us to be different would be completely unrealistic. We have to copy what works and then make it better for our own purposes. These advances are only going to help in the long run so I suggest you get on board Andrew or be left out in the dust."

Inside the room, Cyaire pulled on two latex gloves and tapped the syringe with his forefinger as he walked over to Annette laying on the table. "You will be receiving the Class A serum Miss Annette, this will add a major boost to your current adrenaline." He chuckled, looking at her still squirming around on the table trying to get loose. "And as I can tell, you seem to have a great deal in you already. That should help a great deal." He bent down and pushed the needle into her neck. "Good luck." And pushed the chemical into her blood stream.

Annette immediately stopped squirming as her pupils dilated and the entire room stood still, all eyes on her. Slowly, beads of sweat formed on her forehead as her breathing became more rigid, louder, powerful. She could feel her entire body begin to tingle, the feeling began in her neck where the injection was introduced as it crept down into her arms, her chest, her core, and her legs and feet. Opening her mouth, she gasped lightly for air and began struggling with her hands again, but this time the leather whined in agony as her hands lifted high off of the table. Finally the gasps formulated into a loud scream as the leather groaned again to the girl's increasing power. Groaning, Annette looked at Cyaire with fire in her eyes. "Let me out of this thing! Let me out of here!"

"Get out yourself Miss. I'm sure you can do it."

Annette screamed at him again as she shook the entire table, thrashing left and right trying to break her bindings. Only minutes later, Cyaire watched in glory as the leather straps holding Annette's arms and legs broke off and the Lillian jumped down onto the floor. Breathing heavily, but looking back at the table in shock of what she had just been able to do. Slowly a smile broke over her face, as a chuckle and then a laugh escaped her mouth. "That...that felt amazing..."

"Wonderful. Truly wonderful."

Outside Hannah beamed as she turned to Sagittel. "You see that Andrew, that is the future of what this Commonwealth can achieve. We just need to get a bit more creative. The world will use everything in their arsenal to get ahead of our scientists and researchers, we just have to be sneakier than them."

"You think it will be that easy?"

"No, not at all. But I won't make it easy for them either." With that she turned away from the window and walked back down the corridor beating her hands against each other. "This is only the first step."

[Eggman Empire]

OOC: Cyaire sounds like someone Kintober would enjoy spending a lot of time, around swapping ideas.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Some Months Prior to the Rise of the Second Commonwealth

There had only been a few things that had remained constant during the time of Fall since Sarah had left the shores of Australia leaving the country in a wake of instability held together by the five generals until the Queensland Republic had arisen and Hannah Asgeirsson found herself fleeing the Hansa in search of a new home. These things were that the vast majority of people outside of Brisbane waited and prayed anxiously for the return of the Lady Protector or another figure to guide them back to their time of glory and prosperity and that the Lillian Guard, Lady Tintagyl's personal guard maintained law and order for those still remaining loyal to the Ancien Regime. The Lillians were as old as the Commonwealth itself having been institutionalized by Marchar leaders after the exodus to Australia. Foreign nations often looked at them as a Royal Guard, ceremonial in figure and in discipline, but the Guard had become so much more than that during the Nordic-ComIntern Period and the Tintagylian Age that stretched after the fall of the European Reich. The Lillians who had been once comprised solely of Marchar women had grown to include females of all Hanseatic ethnic groups, though still finding themselves primarily of Finno-Welsh and Marchar. These women were the elite of the Hanseatic military, trained in all aspects of war, strategy, field tactics, fire arm and artillery combat, fencing, and hand to hand combat, the last defense of the Hanseatic state and any Hanseatic ruler. Proudly modeled after the Les Chevaliers du Roi, their dazzling white coats, polished sabers, silver plated pistols, and the band of the Fleur-De-Lis around their arm they held the pomp of a royal guard in public yet in reality were capable of so much more.

While one of their primary functions was to serve as the personal protectors of the Lady Tintagyl and later of Lady Asgeirsson, the Lillians also served as the premier division of all Hanseatic special operations in the world. It had been the Lillians who had been the first to cross the border from Belarus into Northern Ukraine inflicting devastating results on Nordic Industry and agriculture in the area, they had put down various assassination attempts and coups to the Lady Protector while enforcing the will of one of the most influential countries in the world from Brisbane to Paris. It was said that in every political court in the world, there was always the chance of Hanseatic ears falling on the words of courtiers and politicians. So while on the outside, they displayed the makings of an obsolete and ancient royal guard, underneath they could trade their saber in for a Sub-Machine Gun and their pistol in for C-4 explosives. They were to be respected and feared and they were the reason that Hansa even in the darkest times could hold itself together.

It was one of the reasons that Annette du Musline sat so nervous on the wooden chair near the office of the Mayor of her town.

She knew why she had been dragged out of university studies, thrown into the back seat of a car and hauled over to the city hall of Emerald, a small hamlet near the Promised Land-Hanseatic border. Annette for all intensive purposes was what you could consider a prodigy, she had been the top student during her years in high school and now at university was one of the top in her class, she was fluent in three different languages, an athlete in peak physical condition, and around all that still had time for a healthy social life. It make her the perfect candidate for entrance into the Guard. In the office she could hear the sounds of the Mayor speaking, her parents, and another voice, that of a stern woman speaking. She couldn't hear them all that well with the door shut and their voices were hushed, but she could pick out key words, 'away', 'training', 'leaving home', 'faith to the country', or what was left of it.

Finally the door opened and Annette's father and mother appeared out of the frosted glass door. Her mother with tears in her eyes, her father with an anxious smile on his face. The petite girl of nineteen years let her head drop, facing the floor barely able to look up at her parents without crying herself. They sat next to her, her mother running her hands through Annette's long blonde hair. Finally the stern woman walked out of the Mayor's Office, she had long black hair, and wore the uniform of the traditional Lillian Guard, now everything made sense.

"Annette, this is Captain Margarette Ney. She's been looking over your records in school for a long time now and she wants to ask you a few questions if you would be interested in joining the Lillian Guard as a soldier."

Annette looked up at her parents, dismay in her eyes. "You must be joking, I don't want to be a soldier or anything like that. I..."

Captain Ney cracked her fingers. "Annette, I'm going to tell you right now, you have a gift that I don't think should be passed up. There are few women out there that we come to find for this kind of entrance. Of the millions of people living in the World Protectorate, you would be one out of a thousand getting the chance to serve with us. We would be honored if you would help us. Mind you we aren't forcing anything on you, but I can't ask this question and then say you have a lot of time to think about it. The country is in a lot of trouble right now and we need all the help we can get." She extended her hand.

Annette held it against her heart and looked back at her parents. "You would do great things, we're sure."

"I...I..."

"We would be honored to have you with us Miss du Musline."

She smiled if only for a moment before looking up at the Captain again. "I'm not a soldier."

"No, but you will be trained to be. That I can promise."

Finally Annette nodded and reached up taking the Captain's hand as she pulled the fragile girl to her level, while her mother unclipped a cross necklace and tied it around her own daughters thin throat. She hugged her father and mother both before Ney took her the rest of the way out of the Hall and to a waiting car outside. Her bags having already have been packed by two other Lillians waiting outside. They ushered her into the care and drove off out of the down. The journey beginning with tears rolling down her cheeks. She missed them already.

[Razgriz 2K9]

OOC: The title is from a Strategy game, Suikoden perhaps?

[Sarah Tintagyl]

OOC: The title is from a Strategy game, Suikoden perhaps?

OOC: Raging Nostrum is a drug from Suikoden V that has the effects that Annette dealt with...though it would be more like Type C serum...cause it would kill you at the end.

[Subtleknifewielder]

OOC: Raging Nostrum is a drug from Suikoden V that has the effects that Annette dealt with...though it would be more like Type C serum...cause it would kill you at the end.

OOC: Hmmm...I didn't realize there was a fifth game. But you picked some good inspiration--all the ones I've seen played are good, including the one spinoff I saw.

I definitely look forward to seeing how this all progresses.